Syntax Trees: We strive to ensure that ... (Analyzing Business English sentences)

"We strive to ensure that our patrons experience the best visits possible"

 This business English sentence is a little bit long, but if we break it into pieces, it becomes easier to understand. 

S = NP VP
Most English sentences consist of two parts: a noun phrase (NP) and a verb phrase (VP), so the first step is to find the NP and VP. Our first verb is strive, so this is the beginning of the VP. Strive is followed by to and a second verb ensure. In a verb group (VGP) only the first verb carries a tense, so we use to to show that the second verb has no tense.

Syntax-Tree-1 [S [NP We] [VP [VGP strive to ensure] [S’ that our patrons experience the best visits possible]]]

More details appear below:




S' = "our patrons experience the best visits possible"
The object of the verb group strive to ensure could almost be an independent sentence, so we mark it S' (pronounced ess bar). This almost-sentence has its own VP NP structure:

Syntax-Tree-2 [S [NP We] [VP [VGP strive to ensure] [S’ [IN that] [NP our patrons] [VP experience the best visits possible]]]]

VP = experience the best visits possible
The last VP can be broken up into another VP and a NP:

Syntax-Tree-3 [S [NP We] [VP [VGP strive to ensure] [S’ [IN that] [NP our patrons] [VP [VBP experience] [NP the best visits possible]]]]]

NP = the best visits possible
The last NP can also be broken down into a NP and an ADJP. Please notice that the ADJP (Adjective Phrase) possible modifies the noun phrase the best visits.

This is probably a good place to stop analyzing.

Syntax-Tree-4 [S [NP We] [VP [VGP strive to ensure] [S’ [IN that] [NP our patrons] [VP [VBP experience] [NP [NP the best visits] [ADJP possible]]]]]]

Complete Analysis (Lots of Confusing, Fussy Details)
Finally, if we want to, we can analyze the individual words in each phrase. WARNING: Too much analysis makes it difficult to understand the big picture, so I advise you NOT to look at Syntax-Tree-5. To paraphrase an English idiom: If you look at every single tree, you will have trouble seeing the forest:

Syntax-Tree-5 [S We strive to ensure that our patrons experience the best visits possible]